UTSA junior forward Larry Wilkins draws a foul from Aggie center Steph Colvin and Aggie guard Royce Robinson (11) looks on as UTSA men's basketball hosts Oklahoma Panhandle in a non-conference game Monday, January 24, 2011 at the Convocation Center at UTSA in San Antonio. (J. Michael Short / SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS)

Roadrunners forward Larry Wilkins commits an offensive foul as he tries to push Charlie Harper out of his way in the paint as UTSA plays Lamar in mens' basketball at the UTSA Convocation Center on February 5, 2011. (TOM REEL / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

UTSA's Larry Wilkins puts up a shot under the basket during the second half of the Roadrunners 71-62 victory over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi at the UTSA Convocation Center on Feb. 23 2011. (MARVIN PFEIFFER / Express-News)

UTSA forward Larry Wilkins puts up a shot under the basket during the Roadrunners 82-80 loss to Texas State at Strahan Coliseum on Feb. 26, 2011. (MARVIN PFEIFFER / Express-News)

UTSA's Larry Wilkins (left) congratulates Devin Gibson after Gibson's shot with 38.6 second left in the game gave the Roadrunners a 79-78 lead during their game with Texas State at Strahan Coliseum on Feb. 26, 2011. Texas State went on to win the game 82-80. (MARVIN PFEIFFER / Express-News)

UTSA forward Larry Wilkins (right) fouls Texas State's Ryan White with 0.3 seconds remaining in their game and the game tied at 80-80 at Strahan Coliseum on Feb. 26, 2011. White, with a game high 25 points, made the ensuing two free throws to propel the Bobcats to an 82-80 victory over the Roadrunners. (MARVIN PFEIFFER / Express-News)

UTSA Roadrunners forward Larry Wilkins (3) takes a shot during a NCAA Men's Basketball game between the UTSA Roadrunners and the Central Arkansas Bears in the UTSA Convocation Center in San Antonio, Texas on March 2, 2011 (JOHN ALBRIGHT / San Antonio Express-News)

UTSA's Larry Wilkins drives past SHSU's Antuan Bootle during a basketball game between UTSA and SHSU at the Southland Conference Tournament at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. (Bob Levey / Bob Levey)

UTSA senior forward Larry Wilkins (left) shares a laugh with assistant Jeff Renegar at practice Thursday November 3, 2011. Wilkins suffered a season-ending injury during summer workouts but the team still voted the Madison grad as team captain. (JOHN DAVENPORT / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

UTSA senior forward Larry Wilkins at practice Thursday November 3, 2011. Wilkins suffered a season-ending injury during summer workouts but the team still voted the Madison grad as team captain. (JOHN DAVENPORT / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

UTSA senior forward Larry Wilkins at practice Thursday November 3, 2011. Wilkins suffered a season-ending injury during summer workouts but the team still voted the Madison grad as team captain. (JOHN DAVENPORT / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

After battling through a season-ending injury, a painful rehabilitation and nearly a year of uncertainty over his future in college basketball, center Larry Wilkins has regained his role as a starter with UTSA.

As the Roadrunners prepare to host Utah State on Saturday, Wilkins is ready, confident he and his teammates can compete in their first Western Athletic Conference game.

As for last season? All he can do is write it off as one of life's trials. A test of character, to be certain.

This time a year ago, Wilkins was in rehabilitation for a torn right Achilles tendon. Worse than that, he was in limbo, uncertain whether he would ever play again.

UTSA had applied to the NCAA for a waiver that would give him a sixth season of eligibility, but nothing was certain.

“It was really hard, because I had never had an injury where it just ended my whole season, just like that,” Wilkins said. “I was just trying to get through that ... just trying to get it back to where I could walk.”

Wilkins first made headlines in San Antonio in 2007 when he helped lead the Madison Mavericks to the Class 5A state tournament. From there, the burly 6-foot-4, 250-pound post played two years at Midland Junior College.

After a redshirt year at UTSA, he bulled his way into the lineup and into the starting rotation in 2010-11, a landmark season for the Roadrunners.

Not only did the Roadrunners win the Southland Conference, but they advanced to the NCAA tournament and won a game there for the first time in school history.

Everything seemed to be going Wilkins' way until the team started preparing later that summer for a tour in Australia.

Then, during a practice session, he felt something pop in the back of his right foot.

“I thought someone had kicked me,” he said.

Wilkins was mistaken. The tendon was ruptured. Later, a doctor told him there was nothing he could have done to avoid it.

“It was just the wrong movement, with the wrong weight at the wrong time,” he said. “They told me, 'If it happens, it happens.' It was kind of crazy to hear. I hadn't ever had any problem with my Achilles before.”

What followed was surgery, a long healing process and an unclear future. A few weeks later, Wilkins learned UTSA was appealing for an extra year.

But time passed, the second semester of the school year dawned and he still didn't have an answer.

“I was just rehabbing and rehabbing and trying to play a little bit of my senior year,” he said. “It was nerve-wracking.”

Near the end of the season, the word finally came down from the NCAA. He would get the extra year. The pressure had been lifted.

Now 10 games into his senior season, Wilkins has assumed his usual role as enforcer in the paint, playing about 20 minutes per game and averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Physically, he said he might be better than ever.

Mentally, he found out how strong he could be.

But maybe most important, Wilkins also discovered how much his family and teammates cared about him.

“They told me they had my back,” he said. “They helped me through the entire process, always encouraging me. I have to thank everyone. I know that kind of support made me drive harder and harder each and every day in my rehab.”